From August 23 to 27, 2023, the first major video game event of the year will be held in Cologne: gamescom, which will welcome more than 1,200 exhibitors from around sixty countries. On the occasion of this European alternative to E3, we offer you a selection of our greatest expectations for the famous German show.
Since 2009, gamescom is a catch-up session of E3 for those who would have missed the famous Californian high mass of video games. This show brings together hundreds of industry players, where publishers and developers from all over the world come to present new features but also announce some surprises. Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, E3 has never seen a physical edition again and even seems close to its demise, but gamescom has survived the emergence of online events.
Partially returning to the famous Kölnmesse in 2021, the show seems more lively than ever and will once again be the first real meeting between video game professionals, from August 23 to 27, 2023. Here are our 10 biggest expectations for gamescom 2023.
10. Sonic Superstars
- Publisher: SEGA
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch
- Release date: Fall 2023
Sega is not the type to do the improbable surprise: we already know that the new Sonic will be at gamescom. However, this does not prevent this episode from being rather expected (just like its exact release date not yet formalized).
Scheduled for next fall, this new part of the adventures of the hedgehog comes in the form ofa 2D platform game, playable solo or in multiplayer up to four. Above all, it is the first part of the franchise in two dimensions since the excellent Sonic Mania, by far the best game of the license over the last two decades. Sonic Superstars is therefore expected at the turn, even if many fear the confrontation with the eternal rival Mario, also back in October in a new 2D episode.
9. Lords of the Fallen
- Publisher: CI Games
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series
- Release date: October 13, 2023
If the title of this game may mean nothing to you, and its developer (Hexworks) is probably even more unknown to you, you may however be much more intrigued by the trailer unveiled last June during of the Summer Games Fest. This spiritual successor to a namesake released in 2014 and scheduled for release on October 13 is indeed all modern “Souls-like”. Even if the sector is starting to be somewhat saturated (we think in particular of a certain Lies of P, which will arrive a month earlier), Lords of the Fallen could be one of the games to watch at this edition of gamescom.
8. Alan Wake II
- Publisher: Epic Games
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series
- Release date: October 27, 2023
The existence ofa sequel to Alan Wake, a former Microsoft exclusive released in the spring of 2010, is a veritable modern miracle in the video game industry. Described by its own creator (Sam Lake) as impossible in 2013 due to the lack of success of the title developed by Remedy, Alan Wake II undoubtedly owes its existence to the excellent reputation of the studio at the origin of Max Payne, author also of Quantum Break (2016) and Control (2019).
Announced during the Game Awards 2021, this psychological survival-horror has since been eagerly awaited and according to Geoff Keighley, host of the gamescom launch party, it should be one of the figureheads of the Colonial show.
7.Forza Motorsport 8
- Publisher: Microsoft
- Platforms: PC, Xbox Series
- Release date: October 10, 2023
After a full decade of outscoring historic rival Gran Turismo in just about every way, Forza Motorsport has somewhat disappeared from the radar. Since the seventh installment of “FM” released in October 2017, only the arcade version of the license, the excellent Forza Horizon, is still in the news. The return of Microsoft’s car simulation is therefore extremely watched, especially since Gran Turismo 7 put Sony’s historic license back on track in March 2022.
Microsoft’s rival franchise must therefore somehow take back the throne that it held throughout the 2010s, and it is in Cologne that we can finally try it out and see if Forza Motorsport (without no associated number) is yet another masterstroke from Turn 10 in its chosen field.
6. Assassin’s Creed Mirage
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series
- Release date: October 5, 2023
After a “trilogy” of gargantuan open worlds (Origins – Odyssey – Valhalla), Ubisoft’s flagship license has given itself a well-deserved three-year rest without a new component – a first since its creation in 2007. Planned as a transitional episodeAssassin’s Creed Mirage aims to avoid the overflow of content that had ended up causing a form of overdose among many fans, and presents itself as a welcome return to basics.
If it does not seem very ambitious at first glance, it could well reconcile a whole bunch of players with a formula that we haven’t seen for almost ten years, but also satisfy those who dreamed of a remake of the first Assassin’s Creed. Gamescom will certainly provide us with a first element of response!
5. Death Stranding 2
- Publisher: Sony
- Platforms: PlayStation 5
- Release date: unknown (2024?)
It’s no surprise to anyone: Hideo Kojima, the famous creator of Metal Gear, and his studio Kojima Productions are working on the sequel to Death Stranding, a title that revolutionized open-world games in 2019. On very good terms with Geoff Keighley , the famous Japanese game designer probably allowed him to obtain the exclusivity of an announcement concerning his future game on the occasion of the opening night of gamescom. It remains to be seen whether the latter will be unveiled in more detail during the show, which could recall the long presentation of Death Stranding by its creator in 2019 during the… Tokyo Game Show. Either way, we’re all extremely excited to see what one of the greatest creators of his time has in store for us.
4. Super Mario Bros. wonder
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch
- Release date: October 20, 2023
This year, fans of the most famous video game mascot are thrilled: Super Mario made its big comeback to the cinema and enjoyed immense success at the worldwide box office, and in addition, it returns for the first time since 2012 in a 100% new two-dimensional episode. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is certainly the biggest cartridge of this end of the year from Nintendo, finally back at gamescom after four years of absence.
This could be a chance to make sure the platform masters haven’t lost any of their brilliance after a decade filled with top-flight indie platformers, especially since historic rival Sonic is also back in this category at the same time!
3.Starfield
- Publisher: Microsoft
- Platforms: PC, Xbox Series
- Release date: September 6, 2023
Microsoft has announced it: the star game of the start of the school year, expected for September 6 on PC and exclusively console on Xbox Series, will not be playable during the German show. However, all is not lost. Starfield could totally make an appearance on Opening Night Live (the opening ceremony of gamescom) with a new trailer, while a handful of lucky ones are already testing the one we expect to compete with Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3 for the title game of the year.
In addition, nothing says that Bethesda (developer of the game and now owned by Microsoft) does not intend to offer a playable demo to the general public and announce it during this conveniently placed event, two weeks before the release of its biggest cartridge since… Fallout 4 in 2015.
2.Hollow Knight Silksong
- Publisher: to be defined
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch
- Release date: unknown (2024?)
Certainly, no one dares to believe it anymore, but it is for this reason that we have decided to leave a place of choice in this selection to the greatest Arlesian of the decade. Announced (arguably prematurely) in February 2019 and playable four months later at the last E3 held to date, the most anticipated indie game of recent years was supposed to release this year… but seems to have been postponed indefinitely.
What if Team Cherry came to create THE surprise of this gamescom by pointing the tip of its nose at Nintendo, who unveiled it in a Direct, and where it was playable at E3 2019 or at Microsoft (who “resurrected” in his June 2022 Showcase)? Admit that it would be pleasant, especially when a certain Blasphemous 2 comes out, which quite legitimately steals the show in its field.
1. Nintendo’s next console, the Switch 2?
Well, okay, we probably got a little fired up about it, but we want to dream a little. As mentioned above, the oldest console manufacturer still in business is back at gamescom, and rumors surrounding the arrival of its next machine continue to multiply. The one that will have the honor (and the very heavy responsibility!) of succeeding the Switch, the Switch 2 therefore, seems more and more expected for 2024, and the visibility of an event like gamescom would be a great opportunity for the Kyoto-based firm to finally lift the veil on the industry’s best-kept secret in recent years. Ah, and yes, we know there is a Tokyo Game Show in a month, but let us hope!
Bonuses!
We could have mentioned many other games expected at this gamescom, such as Persona 5 Tactica, Mortal Kombat 1, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, or The Return of Detective Pikachu. On the other hand, it is with great regret that we have excluded from this selection behemoths such as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, EA Sports FC 24, or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III to name a few. Their respective publishers (Sony, Electronic Arts and Activision) being absent from the German show, we naturally limited ourselves to the titles of the major players in the industry present this year in Cologne. And you, what games are you most looking forward to during this very hot week in gaming news?